Feb. 20 Column: Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you! My garden columns have officially resumed as of today. The Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium is today’s topic. This amazing learning opportunity is brought to you by the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County.

This year, it will be a virtual event. That means you can watch the presentations at your convenience – no matter where you live! Doug Tallamy is one of the featured presenters. He is highly-respected as an advocate for creating habitat for native species within our gardens. I can’t wait to hear his talk!

John Albers is the other featured presenter. He’ll discuss ways we can garden sustainably. In addition, there will be 12 talks on useful and interesting gardening topics that are sure to inspire and educate. All of the details are in my column, which you can read in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Dig in virtually – Cabin Fever symposium kicks off gardening season. Or you can read the text of my column below the video.

Want to learn more about the Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium? Go to the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County website.

Speaking of this week’s video, I gave you a sneak peek earlier this week. If you missed it, the video covers two ways of growing microgreens. I provide step-by-step instructions for both and tell you which method I prefer.

Garden column:

By Susan Mulvihill

For the past few months, gardeners have been quietly dreaming of this year’s garden by poring over seed catalogs. They’re also repeatedly checking the calendar to see how much longer they must wait until spring is officially here.

There are just 28 days to go until that glorious day arrives. Do that still sound like a long time from now? You only have to wait 20 days for a very special event that will kick off the season. This year’s virtual Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium gets under way on Mar. 12. It’s certain to increase your garden knowledge while underscoring the importance of environmental stewardship. The event’s theme is “Tending Gardens, Nurturing Hope.”

The event, sponsored by the Spokane County Master Gardeners, begins with keynote addresses from two highly respected speakers.

Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium featured speakers:

The first featured presenter is Douglas Tallamy, Ph.D. He is the Professor of Agriculture in the University of Delaware’s Department of Entomology and Wildlife. Tallamy is well-known for his books, “Nature’s Best Hope” (2020) and “Bringing Nature Home” (2009). He he co-authored “The Living Landscape” (2014) with Rick Darke. All of the titles were published by Timber Press.

The second featured presenter is John J. Albers, Ph.D. He is Research Professor Emeritus, Medicine, at the University of Washington, and the founder of Albers Vista Gardens in Bremerton, Wash. He is the author of “The Northwest Garden Manifesto” (Skipstone, 2017) and “Gardening for Sustainability” (Vista Gardens Press, 2013).

Both presentations will take place on Mar. 12. After that, the instructional component of the symposium begins. Twelve regional gardening experts will give virtual presentations on a wide variety of useful gardening topics. Registrants will be able to view them at their leisure between Mar. 14 and Apr. 15. Here is the lineup:

Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium educational presentations:

Holistic Gardening: Growing a Community Through Gardening _ Rebecca Robertson will share how to transform empty, unused spaces into edible gardens.

Habitat for Everyone: A Few Easy Techniques _ Ken Bevis provides ideas of how to share our gardens with wildlife.

Drip Irrigation for the Yard and Garden _ Troy Peters, Ph.D., takes the mystery out of drip irrigation to help gardeners implement a water-saving system.

Orchard Mason Bees: Our Native Pollinators _ Jim Ullrich discusses mason bees and how to maintain a healthy population of them from year to year.

Caring For Our Water Supply: How Gardening Practices Affect Our Sole Source of Water, the Aquifer _ Mark Stiltz will discuss the Spokane aquifer and the gardening practices we can engage in to protect and preserve this valuable resource.

Turning Your Spoils Into Soil: The Basics of Home Composting _ Kris Major will share useful tips on improving your soil’s health and productivity by making compost with your organic waste.

Simple Techniques for Native Plant Propagation _ Robin O’Quinn, Ph.D., will demonstrate how easy it is to create more native plants through propagation techniques.

The Importance of Trees To Our Lives and Landscapes _ Ben Thompson explores the value and relevance of trees in the environment.

Don’t Be Afraid of Pruning _ Tim Kohlhauff covers the basic steps for pruning ornamental shrubs and trees.

Supporting Miniature Wildlife in the Garden: Taking Pollinator Habitat Conservation to the Next Level _ Mace Vaughan relates the natural history of the native bees in our gardens and pollinator conservation.

Finding Resiliency in Nature _ Cathi Lamoreux will explore the inherent human-nature connection as one of our strongest forces of strength and inspiration.

Rain Gardens: How We Mimic Healthy Forests _ Zsofia Paster will focus on sustainable solutions for capturing and filtering rainwater.

More highlights of the virtual Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium:

Two other highlights of the Symposium include virtual garden tours and the virtual marketplace. Registrants will be able to view videos of notable public gardens, interesting projects, and local gardens. What’s in the marketplace? Coupons and live links to vendors that support sustainable gardening practices. There will also be links to non-profit organizations that foster a sustainable community.

The virtual Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium will provide attendees with the knowledge and inspiration they need to make this year’s garden a success. An added benefit is that the online format makes all of this information easy to access.

Virtual Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium:

When: On Mar. 12, online presentations by featured speakers Douglas Tallamy and John J. Albers will take place. Registrants will be able to view focused presentations on gardening topics at their leisure between Mar. 14 and Apr. 15.

Details: For additional information, go to mgfsc.org/events. Tickets cost $50 for the general public or $45 for members of the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County. To become a member, go to mgfsc.org/membership.